Catherine Carey in a Nutshell by Adrienne Dillard

Author:Adrienne Dillard [Dillard, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MadeGlobal Publishing
Published: 2015-10-09T23:00:00+00:00

Catherine at Henry VIII’s court

When an opening became available in the crowded court of the reigning monarch, there was often a scramble for the highly coveted positions. Each time Henry found a need to replace his consort’s entire household, the leading courtiers rushed to further the careers of the eligible young ladies in their family. Appointment to the queen’s household was a privilege and considered a mark of high social standing.63 The queen’s lodgings were separate but identical to those of the king, and made up of four distinct areas: the watching chamber, the presence chamber, the privy chamber and the bedchamber. The higher ranking women served the closest, physically, to the queen in her privy and bedchambers. The lower ranking and younger maids-of-honour tended to be further away from the queen in her watching and presence chambers.

Traditionally, the queen chose her servants, but that was not always the case. Anne of Cleves, a foreign princess with no foreknowledge of the English Court, had her household prepared for her by the king before she set foot on English soil. In addition to being attractive and accomplished at ‘womanly skills’, other factors were taken into consideration regarding the promotion of an eligible lady including her noble origins, family connections, religious leanings and political influences.64 In special circumstances, older noble ladies lobbied for the younger girls’ appointment, as in the case of the Deputy of Calais, Lord Lisle’s stepdaughters. Anne and Catherine Bassett were both put forth as candidates for placement in Queen Jane Seymour’s household, but both were initially rejected. Catherine was not as fair as was desired and Anne was deemed too young. At the urgings of Ladies Rutland, Beauchamp and Sussex, Anne was eventually awarded a position as a maid-of-honour once she reached the more acceptable age of sixteen.65

A position at court came with a paid wage and, most importantly, room and board. The senior ladies in service were usually married and shared their luxuriously appointed rooms with a spouse who was also serving in the king’s household. Since the maids were all unmarried, they received less stately lodgings. They shared a sparse room, with a few beds, that was referred to as the maid’s dorm. Each was given a daily allotment of food and drink that could be eaten in the great hall. Only the most favoured servants dined privately with the king and queen.

The duties of the household varied depending upon which rooms the ladies were assigned to. The women of the privy and bedchamber attended to the queen’s personal needs. They helped her with a daily hygiene regiment and assisted her as she dressed for the day. The queen rarely slept alone. If the king was not paying a conjugal visit to her bedchamber, her ladies would take turns sleeping on a pallet next to the enormous tester bed. The queen’s chamberers took care of menial tasks, making sure that the royal servants kept the lodging clean and freshened. The maids-of-honour were supervised by a

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